Alternative spec to A3B4?

[dave c59]

Is there a better spec oil (eg. C3?) for a euro3 D5 S60? I'm finding A3B4 a little bit hard to come by.

TIA for any help.

[AndyV7o]

No.
What grade are you looking for? You can use various oils in that not just 0w30.
See here for a list of oils for that engine https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=283503. If you want an overview of characteristics etc theres a table listing the best ones on page 3.
Lots of people use Shell Helix Ultra 5w40, if you want to buy bulk you can currently pick up 20L of Total Quartz 9000 energy 0w30 for £100.50

In principle C3 would be the alternative, and is supposed to be fully backwards compatible, but there are possible issues which may or may not be of concern depending on the particular oil formulation, thus, its better to stick with A3/B4. Yes you can use C3 and there shouldnt be any issue at all, but shouldnt is not a 100% unfortunately, more 98% yes 2% could cause problems.